Vibratory apparatus



May 23, 1944. J MEYER 2,349,743

VIBRATORY APPARATUS Filed Dec. 3, 1942 Lia/212 1 Me Q ez- ENTOR.

, I If BY M ms 4rroeJvm-1 l6 within the cabinet ll.

Patented May 23, 1944 vr RA'roRY APPARATUS John F. Meyer, Chicago, 111., assignor to The Exhibit Supply (30., Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application December 3, 1942, Serial No. 467,686 2 Claims. ('01. 128-32) This invention relates to vibratory apparatus and more particularly to an apparatus for vibratory calisthenics and has as its principal object the provision of a device which will be simple in construction, economical in manufacture and hi hly eflicient in use.

Another object of this invention i to provide vibratory support for gymnastic rings for the purpose of giving a person vibratory treatment through the forearms.

A further object of my invention is to provide a balanced frame for a gymnastic apparatus which will set up body vibrations when unbalanced by the application of a load to the frame.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawing showing the preferred form of construction, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an amusement apparatus embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional detail of the same as seen along line 2-2 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of the overhead frame structure seen in Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of an electrical circuit embodied in my invention.

In the art of penny arcade devices as well as gymnastic equipment it has been a custom to provide a fixed frame for the suspension of rings and horizontal bars upon which various muscular exercises could be practiced. The present invention contemplates the provision of a muscle soothing treatment in conjunction with the normal form of calisthenics whereby the user of the equipment is given additional stimula over and above his own muscular exertion.

To accomplish the purpose I have provided an upright It] in the form of a cabinet II which is provided with a spread base 12 which is braced by struts I3 so as to assure a rigid relationship between the base and upright. An overhanging head member 14 is supported at the upper end of the upright l and comprises a pair of parallel members l supported on a structural frame A pair of rings 11 extend downwardly from the head member M and are connected by means of a flexible link 18 to a vibratory frame l9 housed within the head member 14.

The vibratory frame 19 comprises a pair of parallel arms 20 spaced from each other by intermediate struts 2| and an angle member 22 at that end of the frame l9 which is disposed directly over the upright ID. The opposite end of the frame I9 is pivotally mounted on a rod 23 which is supported between the parallel memhers l5. A number of coil springs 24 are attached to the angl member 22 and are anchored to a crosshead 25 supported by the parallel members I5 so that the end of the frame lfidisposed over the upright I0 may be moved relative to the rod 23. r

A motor 26 is attached to the vibratory frame l9 as at 21 and has an eccentrically loaded armature shaft 28 so as to set up vibrations in the motor and vibratory frame When the motor is energized. The rings I! through their respective links l8 which are in the form of chains are hung on U shaped stirrups 29 bolted to the arms 20 midway between the pivot rod 23 and the motor 26.

The arrangement is such that the vibratory frame 19 is balanced and the coil springs 24 take up the vibrations caused by the eccentric armature shaft 28 when the motor 26 is running. However, when a person grasps the rings I1 and raises himself up so as to suspend his body weight on the rings, the excessive load caused by his body is applied to the coil springs 24 and unbalances the frame l9 whereupon the vibratory action of the motor armature shaft 28 is transmitted through the vibratory frame l9, chains l8 and rings I1 to the body of the person suspended on the rings. This gives a particularly soothing treatment to the taut muscles of the persons arms and accelerates his activity while chinning himself.

The present environment of my new structure is that of a penny arcade device which is coin operated such that a person to have the use of the apparatus with vibratory action for a predetermined length of time must first deposit a coin into a slot 30 formed in the cabinet ll. As shown in Fig. 4 the deposited coin will gravitate down a chute 3| and depress a lever 32 to close a switch 33 which is arranged in an electrical circuit 34. Such operation of switch 33 is sufficient to start a timing motor 35 for driving a pair of timing discs 36-31 through a reduction gear arrangement (not shown). The disc 36 controls cam operated switches 38 and 39 for both the timing motor 35 and the vibratory motor 26 respectively so that each will be energized during the time it takes for the discs to rotate one-half revolution.

A means for making known each time the per son using the device raises himself upon the rings I1 is provided in the form of a presser plate 40 centrally arranged in the head member I4 within an annular opening 4| formed in the bottom wall thereof between the suspended rings I1. The plate 40 is limited in its downward movement by an extending flange 42 and is provided with a padded bottom against which the head of the person using the apparatus may abut. (See dotted lines Fig. 2.)

A plurality of switches 43 are all connected in parallel (Fig. 4) and are arranged on the bottom wall of the head member l4 around the presser plate 40 such that whenever the plate is raised a slight amount in any angular direction one of the plurality of switches 43 will close to complete an auxiliary circuit 44 to an electromagnet 45 or the like for operating a signal means or the like (not shown);

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying my invention into effect, this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of constructionset forth, but desire toavail myself of such variations and modifications as come withi nthe scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In a device of the class described including an upright cabinet and an overhanging head member supported thereby, the combination of a vibratory gymnastic apparatus comprising a vibratory frame pivotally arran ed at one end on said head member and having its opposite end suspended on yieldable means, a vibratory motor carried by said vibratory frame and ring means adapted to be gripped by a person utilizing the device, said ring means having links attached thereto and suspended from said vibratory frame.

2. Ina device of the class described including an upright and an overhanging head member suspended thereon, in combination a vibratory frame, means pivotally supporting one end of said vibratory frame on said overhanging head member, a vibratory motor carried by said vibratory frame, spring means suspending the opposite end of said vibratory frame from said head member and normally balancing said vibratoryframe and vibratory motor against vi brator'y action, and grasping means suspended from said vibratory frame and adapted to be gripped by a person utilizing the device to apply body weight to said vibratory frame whereby to unbalance the latter to produce vibratoryaction in said grasping means for transmittal to the load thereto applied. I 7

JOHN F. 

